
DEC 15, 2025
| CARVIEW |

NABU is solving the global literacy crisis so that every child can read and rise to their full potential. Our vision is to provide every child with equitable access to literacy by 2030.

About NABU
NABU is a tech-enabled publisher of multilingual children’s books. We create culturally responsive, mother-tongue stories more efficiently and at a scale never achieved before.

Every child with equitable access to literacy by 2030
Globally, 250M school-aged children cannot read. According to the World Bank, higher literacy rates are associated with greater health, economic growth, and employment at the societal level. Early childhood literacy is critical to eradicating poverty, yet globally there is a severe shortage of books in mother tongue languages.
Guided by the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, NABU exists to address a root cause of many of the world’s greatest societal challenges — illiteracy. We are building an inclusive, diverse, and widely accessible platform to make early grade level story books available to the 250M children most in need.

Children Served
Books Downloaded
Titles Published
Local Artists

From NABU Users
I used to be afraid of answering questions in class, but since reading on NABU I have become more confident. I love reading in Kinyarwanda, especially funny stories, like when the rabbit goes to steal wheat. I can now understand Kinyarwanda much better, and can share my ideas fearlessly!
—Belize, age 10

From NABU Users
Reading on NABU helps me understand my local language and also helps me learn new languages like English. I am always excited to share stories with my mom after reading and she helps me understand. NABU helps me boost my memory because I love memorizing the story!
—Oliver, age 6

From NABU Users
“I felt the urge to inspire my children to read because it increases the strength of the memory, and it teaches them daily life lessons. It has been one year since Warren started using the NABU app, and the changes I see are that he is now thirstier for reading than he was before, he gets excited when he knows I will be reading a story for him.”
—Niyonsenga

From NABU Users
“I really enjoy our story time every Monday. Every student gets a chance to go to the front of the class and read NABU stories through our teacher's phone. It's something that makes me very happy"
—Sibel, age 8


Your donation makes a difference. Join us in our mission to ensure every child has equal access to literacy and learning resources.
NABU is free for children, families, and teachers, thanks to our generous donors. Your donation can make a big difference:

To read is to rise
Accelerating Literacy Through Access to Mother Tongue Books
Mother tongue books are one of the most cost-effective interventions in increasing literacy, yet 40% of children globally do not have access to educational materials in a language they speak or understand. Increased access to culturally relevant, mother tongue books directly promotes higher reading engagement, leading to higher literacy scores.
Specifically, research shows mother tongue books:
• Increase a child’s motivation to read
• Result in stronger parental engagement in children’s education
• Provide an essential bridge to reading in English and other national languages
Help us to ensure that every child has free access to the essential books that they need to learn to read.
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